The Lecce Baroque

Lecce is an Italian town of 93 700 inhabitants, capital of the homonymous province of Puglia. It is located almost in the heart of the beautiful Salento area, between the Adriatic and Ionian coasts. The architectural development has been particularly taken care of during the Kingdom of Naples and has characterized the city in such an original way as to give rise to the definition of 'Lecce baroque', characterized by workings in Lecce stone. The baroque that distinguishes the city is in fact different from all the others: the facades of the buildings in Lecce are known and appreciated all over the world and are characterized by refined friezes depicting saints, cherubs, but also flowers and fruit. Not to be missed is a visit to the famous Duomo, located in the square of the same name; the Basilica of Santa Croce is the emblem of the Lecce Baroque, so full of reliefs and details that it leaves every visitor stunned. The decorations embellish the facade of the Basilica, they are not only filling but symbolic. Santa Croce symbolizes the triumph of Christianity over pagan myths and the two orders of the Basilica symbolize hell and heaven; the lower order represents the world of the underworld where mythological figures such as sirens, harpies and dragons peep out on the capitals and pediment. The 'pagan world' is defeated by the paradise represented by the higher order with flowers, plants, animals and angels in celebration.